The unusual 2006 dwarf nova outburst of GK Perseii
Abstract
The 2006 outburst of GK Perseii differed significantly at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths from typical outbursts of this object. We present multi-wavelength (X-ray, UV and optical) Swift and AAVSO data, giving unprecedented broad-band coverage of the outburst, allowing us to follow the evolution of the longer-than-normal 2006 outburst across these wavelengths. In the optical and UV we see a triple-peaked morphology with maximum brightness ~1.5 magnitudes lower than in previous years. In contrast, the peak hard X-ray flux is the same as in previous outbursts. We resolve this dichotomy by demonstrating that the hard X-ray flux only accounts for a small fraction of the total energy liberated during accretion, and interpret the optical/UV outburst profile as arising from a series of heating and cooling waves traversing the disc, caused by its variable density profile.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0907.1407,
title = {The unusual 2006 dwarf nova outburst of GK Perseii},
author = {P. A. Evans and A. P. Beardmore and J. P. Osborne and G. A. Wynn},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0907.1407},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS